National Republican., 1887-08-23

Roanoke convention, in this respect, Is ut va
rinnce with the record OF the national Demo
cratic party. II trayerscs the national plat
form OF the party, the recommendations Of It's
President, and the propositions OF Us con-
trolling fiction In Congress, The Roanoke
rived from tnrin on imports and in favor of a
repeal of the internal revenue system, while
the record of the Democratic party OF this
country consistently and unwavefiugly shows
that the reverse Is the Democratic doctrine.
The Democratic view is a reduction OF import
duties to virtual free trade, and the main
means OF compelling the adoption of that un.
American policy, and we arraign the Roanoke
platform as misleading, and seeking to dc.
Ceive the people of Virginia upon question
vital to their every interest and to the progress
and power of the state.
II iemains TO be seen, fellow.citizens,
whether you will become the dupes of pre-
lenses which have made the authors of this
platform the lnughing-stook of the leading
Journals leI, mails OF their own party; The washington
most influential Democratic journals of
America-haye declared boldly and openly
that the planks OF the Roanoke platform upon
tIically opposed to Democratic principles, ana
all over the west, north, and east, from st.
Louis and Louisville TO Boston and Bangor,
the orthodox organs of the Democracy have
united In deriding and denouncing this plat
form and Its trainers.
Fourth. As 70 the public debt. For eight
| plnia Democracy were in undisputed control
| fthe administration of the state government,
During that period they gave the people no IN
tellgible statement OF the debt, but on the
| contrary, produced divers irreconcilable and
| conflicting statements, only tending to mako
| confusion worse confounded They formulated
several classes OF the creditors of the state,
and finally lost power by the passage of o
stupid and odous measure known as the Nc.
| Culiooh bill, which satisfied neither debtor nor
In 1881 our party was called to full power by
i the people, and within sixty days after the
mSSsps pssdd S s sSs
| amount of our public debt, and plan OF read.
| justing II equitably as between the several
| classes of our bondholders, In such form TINT
| no one has yet been found to question success
| fully the amount of the debt or the equity OF
| the adlustmentbetween the creditors as therein
stated.
| When this measure was passed the Bourbon
| leaders denounced II us dishonest and pre-.
dicted its utter failure. Nevertheless, 1t went
agiDsiy The only % tSss test case under ' the % debt
| legislation of 1889 which went to the Supreme
| Court of the United States was decided In fa-
| yor of the constitutonaity of the law involved
"a law vital to the enforcement OF the whole
| tcheme-and the people were cheered by the
hope that final settlement was indeed near
| at hand.
Seeing this condition of afInIrs, the Bourbon
| convention of 1888 abandoned all pretense OF
| opposition upon principle to the debt settle
| meni; y pocketed It's oit:avowed enmity to the
| debt question was settled forever, and 1t re-
gained power under solemn pledge not to
disturb IT, but to carry out the settlement ac-
cording 10 It's true intent and tenor. How the
| Democrats have redeemed that pledge let the
| record and present condition Of the debt ques-
| sion speak.
From the moment the Democratic managers
were restored TO the control of state affairs the
| settlement has languished. They have baned
| its execution by their incompetence and un-
faithfulness.
without understanding the principles on
| which the supplementary laws to the debt set
| Element were framed, they at once proceeded
TO amend them, although pledged to let them
| ried to the federal courts after these amend
| ments had rendered the original enactments
unconstitutional, were all decided adversely
| to the state. Funding under these laws has
virtually ceased, and under the judicial deci-
| sions which have been thus invited, the con-
pons are more powerful than ever. The debt
| question which was declared settled in 1888 is
| now, in 1887, unsettled, and, II possible, In
| worse shape than, ever, although the affairs of
thu, state meanwhile have been exclusively
| under Democratic control.
In the interval having amended the laws on
| Which the debt settlement was dependent for
success. contrary to their plighted faith, the
Democrats have seriously proposed, through
their leader In the senate, to repeal all the
legislation supplemental to that bill, thus con-
| frming the destruction of the measure by
| their own intermeddling.
| They have invited the British bondholder5
| here for conference and adjustment, aud ap-
pointed committee to deal with them. care
| iully excluding from that committee any rep
| resentative of the Republican party. This
itself was an outrage upon the Republicans OF
| Virginia, who are In majority of 10000 ac-
| cordipg TO thereturns OF the last general cleo
lion in this istate and who are taxpayers, as
| much interested in this question as the Demo.
| cratic minority.having stake In the. COM
| monweath and her concerns that would have
suggested at least some representation for
| them TO any but Bourbon partisans Bsin z
non.political, the question should have been
| treated outside Of party lines.
But the Bourbon leaders, thus assuming the
| entire responsibility for the negoia with
| the British bondholders, proceeded to receive
| from them, and make TO them, offers which
| which they were pledged. Five times IN the
bourbon Legislature, then in session. resolu
| tions directing the Virginia committee to
| settlement OF 1882 were voted down, and we
charge that that settlement never was tend.
cred to The British commissioners. On the
settlement TO the British commissioners which,
both as to amount aud as TO the feature of tax
receivable coupons, was In violation OF their
| Of their own party, and was an abandonment
\ Of that settlement.
Now that the Democrats have assembled at
Roanoke and again pledged themselves to
| stand by our settlement "a settlement which
they have virtually destroyed), they seem 10
think that public confidence has put no limit
laration is all.suilicient to restore to them the
wnvering popular support.
They apparently forget that this declaration
| IL not such as II would have been before they
tampered with that settlements They seem To
| forget that such declaration is now In defiance
of creditor and court. who have taken position
I 10 realize hat sinadna pv Tns tbs
settlement, which they themselves have uu-
settled. neither settles the questions they have
5eopened; pays the dc debt nor binders the alb
| again active and self.asserting. The most that
they propose Is to stand still by the shattered
fragments Of that settlement, and allow their
| funding bill and brokers' bill mortgages upon
our revenues TO bury the taxable energies of
| our people beneath coupons, accommodating at
the rate Of sl,25o,00o Annually. 1t is an eva.
sion OF the pressing living question which Is
uppermost in the mind of every citizen OF Vir.
| ginia. and more important than all others TO
the progress and prosperity of the state.
1t Is for you to decide, fellow.citizens,
whether you win again accept their apologies,
and leave the debt settlement in their hands
to 90 from bnd to worse, or, ere 1t is too late,
recommit the matter to those whose work the
Democratic party indorsed and have adopted
work which would doubtless have gone to
full success but for their ignorant tampering
with It's vital parts-a work which they can
never complete, because they lack the capacity
TO comprehend and the disposition TO meet the
eXigencies OF the question
We believe, fellow-citizens, that you heartily
desire a prompt and final settlement Of this
question. Your every interest demands this.
Your state is suffering untold injury every
hour II is delayed. We believe that II power
is delegated to the Republican party. 1t will
not stand STILL but will proceed promptly TO
such measures as will effect final disposition
OF this long agitated and much complicated
problem, upon terms. We say, while In no wise
dishonorable to you or the state must be ao-
ceptablc to the creditors, and without in
creaspg your taxable burdens.
Filth. As to federal aid In the debt settle.
ponents without any confidence on their part,
has no merit OF originality, aud Is not offered
TO you with the courage of their convictions
BY The late Henry 4. Wise in a speech at
West Point, Va, December, 1874. No man In
Virginia was further away from these Bourbon
leaders in his feelings than was Gov Wise.
He had denounced their incompetency on tho
debt question. their dishonesty and hypocrlsY